Revealing Photos of People In and Out of Uniform

For her latest project, German photographer Herlinde Koelbl took portraits of people from a variety of professions both in and out of uniform. A priest, a clown, a chimney sweep, a geisha — see them donning full occupational ensemble and then dressed down, without pilot badges, chef hats, swinging crucifixes, and all other accessories projecting specific authority and purpose. See them in jeans and sweaters. See them as just anyone. The curious project reminds a little bit of its NSFW predecessor, Timothy Greenfield-Sanders’ XXX: 30 Porn-Star Portraits, which featured adult film stars in casual wear and in the buff. Koelbl’s work has a subtle charm of its own, however. In anticipation of the exhibit, see two examples of a pair of two-sided people.